The Waterbender's New Clothes
by The Pterodactyl
Summary: A short and sweet piece of Kataang fluff...think of it as a late Valentine's day thing. Mentions of offspring.


"Hey, Suki?"

"Yes, Katara?"

"Does Sokka ever act…secretive? Like…does he ever just start acting strangely suspicious, for no apparent reason?"

"Katara, this is your brother we're talking about. We both know he does things that will forever defy logic."

Katara laughed. "I guess you're right. I'm still kind of worried, though."

Suki frowned. "About Sokka?"

"No, about Aang. He's been spending a lot of time holed up in the sunroom in the house, and he's always really jumpy when I come in. Normally I never have to remind him to take his turn with Suri, but he's been so…preoccupied lately. I can't figure it out."

"Huh."

The two women turned the corner and started down the narrow boulevard that both of their houses sat on, one next to the other. They were small as houses in the Upper Ring went, but very comfortable, and more than enough for both families, though Suki had been talking lately of a move, what with the three unruly boys she had to take care of.

They stopped on Katara's porch, and Katara sat on the front step, settling her baby girl, Suri, on her knee. The girl, barely one year old, giggled happily at her mother.

Suki said, "Aang is one of the most honest people either of us knows. I'd just ask him, if you're really that worried. I'm sure it's just some kind of misunderstanding."

"Maybe. It's just so unlike him in the first place though."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. Listen, I have to get home; Sokka's taking care of the boys all by himself. I'd like the furniture to still be in one piece when I get home."

Katara laughed. "I talk to you later then."

"Bye."

--

Katara opened the door to her and Aang's house, balancing Suri on her hip. "Aang?" she called. "Aang? Are you home?" She knew Aang liked to go flying over the city occasionally.

When she got upstairs to put Suri down for her afternoon nap, however, Katara found the door to the sunroom shut and bolted, like it was very frequently these days. After laying her daughter down to rest, Katara tiptoed to the door and knocked. There was a thud from within, and then the sounds of scuffling, and things being shifted. The door popped open a second later, and Aang stood in the doorway, a jaunty, if rather nervous, grin fixed on his long face.

"What are you doing in there?" Katara asked bemusedly. "I'd be worried if it wasn't you."

Aang's grin dissolved somewhat. "Um…I'm just…cleaning, you know. That room gets so dusty in direct sunlight…y'know."

Katara put her hands on her hips and gave her husband a knowing look. She couldn't quite remember when he had gotten taller than her, though it must've been awhile ago, now. "Yeah, I do. I also know that you and Sokka together clean maybe the space of one room a year. What were you really doing?"

"Nothing, I swear! Just enjoying the view." Aang stepped forward and put his arm around Katara's waist. "Katara, I promise I wasn't doing anything of a suspicious nature. Avatar's honor."

Katara could've called him on it; after all, she wasn't the type to drop things that easily, and Aang knew it. But there was something to be said for giving the Avatar the benefit of the doubt, so she just rolled her eyes and let it go. "Fine then, keep your secrets. Will you at least give me a hand with dinner? If we hurry we can have it ready before Suri wakes up."

Aang dropped a kiss on Katara forehead. "Always, darling."

--

Perhaps to make up for his obvious cover up the day before, Aang took Suri flying with him, leaving Katara alone in the house. She fought back the impulse for over half the day; she knew that Aang had given his word, and that that was as good as any oath there was, but Katara was still the curious sort—if it wasn't for that, she'd hardly be married to Aang, now would she?—so eventually she found herself opening the door to the sunroom.

And she found…nothing.

Well, that wasn't true. There were some boxes left over from when they'd moved into the house, a few years back. Most of them were from all the goods they'd been sent as gifts from expensive merchants looking to impress the Avatar and his bride.

Katara wasn't satisfied, though, so she started opening boxes and going through them. Some old scrolls…an outfit she despised…an outfit Aang despised…a set of Aang's old robes he'd long since outgrown…in short, nothing out of the ordinary.

Katara sat back on her heels, frustrated. There had to be some reason that Aang was spending the better part of each day in this room. Katara pulled another box forward, intent on her search—and she heard something shift. Shifting fabric, if her ears didn't deceive her. She pushed the box out of the way, and dug behind the stack, feeling something silky between her fingers…

"Katara!"

"Ahh!"

Katara jumped back, a bit of blue coming free of the boxes behind which it hid, and turned to see Aang. "Aang, I'm sorry, I was just…what are you wearing?"

"Surprise," Aang said. He was dressed the same as he had been the day Katara had found him, brown boots, orange tunic, yellow collar and all. The robes actually fit him, too…

"Where did you get those, Aang? What's going on?"

Aang looked very nervous all of a sudden, and when he spoke, his voice was quiet and small. "It's today…the day you pulled me out of the iceberg, the day we met. It's today."

"So you…oh!" Katara looked at him with new eyes.

"I figured we could dress for the occasion."

"That's…really nice, Aang." Katara was rendered somewhat speechless by Aang's thoughtfulness. "So where's my outfit?" she joked.

"Right there." Katara was about to ask what he meant, when Aang reached past her and grabbed the blue corner that Katara herself had revealed, and pulled out a set of Water Tribe clothes, though they were rather more misshapen than Aang's own.

"I had my outfit commissioned, but…I really wanted to make yours myself. Sorry if it didn't come out right. I'm not very good at sewing…" Aang was silenced when Katara walked over and planted a huge kiss on his lips.

There wasn't much talking after that.

--

That evening, over dinner, Suri watched her parents, dressed in new and unfamiliar clothes, spend even more time than usual gazing at each other in a sappy manner.


End file.
